FISHERY BULLETIN: VOL. 70, NO. 1 



areas and included in her paper were many 

 pictures of scales of sockeye salmon of Asian 

 stocks. A photographic atlas of sockeye salmon 

 scales (Mosher, 1968) was the first step in de- 

 termining racial origins, and it should be avail- 

 able for reference when the present paper is 

 studied. 



The purpose of this paper is to show varia- 

 tions in age and scale characteristics among adult 

 fish from various coastal areas over the range 

 of the species so that workers planning to col- 

 lect and analyze scale data to determine origin 

 of sockeye taken at sea and in coastal waters 

 are informed about scale features that are linked 

 to various geographic localities. 



This report consists of two principal parts. 

 The first comprises (1) photographs of sections 

 of scales of adult sockeye salmon, as plates, for 

 each freshwater age group from various areas 

 over the range of the species; (2) frequency 

 tables of the number of circuli in the freshwater 

 and first ocean zones for fish taken from the var- 

 ious areas; and (3) descriptions of the scales 

 of sockeye salmon from the various areas. The 

 second part is concerned with the selection of 

 scale features for the determination of the origin 

 of fish taken in offshore waters. 



METHODS AND MATERIALS 



In the preparation of this paper I was con- 

 cerned with (1) the selection of scale samples 

 of fish from various geographical areas, (2) the 

 selection of scale features that are linked to var- 

 ious stocks or geographical areas, and (3) the 

 method of preparation of plates from photo- 

 graphs of selected sockeye scales. I have dis- 

 cussed each of these items separately. 



SELECTION OF SCALE SAMPLES OF 



FISH FROM VARIOUS 



GEOGRAPHICAL AREAS 



An important consideration in deciding which 

 stocks of sockeye salmon to include in this paper 

 was the relative number of fish produced in the 

 various localities over the range of the species 

 shown in Figure 1. Study of catch data seems 

 to be the best way to determine the most abun- 



I50°E 



60°N — 



60°N 



Figure 1. — Approximate range of sockeye salmon in and 

 around the North Pacific Ocean and adjacent seas. The 

 distribution in the northern Bering and Chukchi Seas was 

 estimated to include the northernmost known spawning 

 streams on both continents. Sockeye salmon may be 

 found in many streams within the range shown, but in 

 only a few streams in some areas. Atkinson et al. (1967) 

 shows detailed maps of streams where sockeye salmon 

 have been known in the United States. The distribution 

 at sea varies within and between years, depending on 

 many factors, Manzer et al. (1965), Hartt (1962, 1966), 

 and Kondo et al. (1965). In addition to the above refer- 

 ences, Hanamura (1966, 1967) and Aro and Shepard 

 (1967) were also sources of data for this figure. 



dant stocks because the catch is roughly propor- 

 tional to the production of fish in an area. Table 

 1 shows the average catch for the 3 years, 1966- 

 68, the statistics for which are complete for Asia 



Table 1.— Sockeye salmon catch, average of 1966-68. 



' Japan has no stocks of sockeye salmon. 



- Includes north side of Alaska Peninsula. 



■' Includes Aleutian Islands, south side of Alaska Peninsula, Chignik, 

 and Kodiok Island, 



' Includes Resurrection Bay, Prince William Sound, Copper and Bering 

 Rivers, 



^ Includes Yakutat. 



" Includes the Columbia River (32.2 thousand fish). 

 Source of data: International North Pacific Fisheries Commission, 1966, 



1967, and 1968; and supplemental catch statistics supplied to the INPFC 



by the USSR. 



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